Freudenberg nominated for MRN Innovation Prize 2011
November 26, 2011 - Germany
Freudenberg Forschungsdienste KG is among the nominees for the Innovation Prize 2011 of Stiftung Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar (the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region Foundation). The prize is to be presented to researchers and developers from the region for the fifth time on December 6. Today, the nominees for the 25,000 euro main award and the two 5,000 euro special awards were announced at the Rosengarten in Mannheim. "Our region has always had intelligent people who bring technology forward with the right mixture of inventiveness and an entrepreneurial spirit," said Dr. h.c. Manfred Lautenschläger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region Foundation.
In total, 30 entries were received in the five categories of biotechnology, information and communication technology, environmental and energy technology, materials and commodities, and life sciences and health. Two life sciences and health projects and one materials and commodities projects have been nominated. Engineers Stefan König (Freudenberg Research Services) and Dr. Daniel Stefan Schock-Kusch (Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology, Medical Faculty Mannheim) are among the three nominees with their "smart plaster".
The procedure which they have developed in Mannheim is intended to allow the measurement of organ functions using light signals and to speed up diagnostics. Together with the Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology at Medical Faculty Mannheim, scientists from Freudenberg and research workers from Mektek Europe have been working on this innovative method since the summer of 2009.
In the new method, a plaster applied to the patient's skin is used to measure the concentration of a diagnostic substance previously injected and can identify malfunctions of organs such as the kidneys or liver in a very short space of time. In the case of the liver, the test can be completed in ten minutes, while kidney tests call for about two hours. This represents significant progress compared with current methods which require blood or urine samples to be shipped to a laboratory for testing.
The other projects nominated include intra-operative radiation therapy using Intrabeam, developed by radio-oncologist Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz (Medical Faculty Mannheim) together with Carl Zeiss Meditec of Oberkochen. This procedure represents a milestone in breast cancer therapy. The third nominee is chemical engineer Dr. Jan Eubeler (RKW Group, Frankenthal), whose "Polydress O2 Barrier 2in1" is used in agriculture.
The winner of the main award, with a cash prize of 25,000 euros, will be announced at the Rosengarten in Mannheim on December 6, 2011.
About the Freudenberg Group
The Freudenberg Group is a family company offering its customers technically challenging product solutions and services. The Group is first and foremost a supplier specializing in seals and vibration control technology, nonwovens, filtration, lubricants and release agents as well as mechatronic products. The end-user can find modern Freudenberg household products in the shops under the brand names of vileda®, O´Cedar® and Wettex®. And especially for mid-size companies Freudenberg develops software solutions and IT services. In 2010, the Freudenberg Group employed more than 34,000 people in 59 countries and generated sales of more than 5.4 billion euros.
In total, 30 entries were received in the five categories of biotechnology, information and communication technology, environmental and energy technology, materials and commodities, and life sciences and health. Two life sciences and health projects and one materials and commodities projects have been nominated. Engineers Stefan König (Freudenberg Research Services) and Dr. Daniel Stefan Schock-Kusch (Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology, Medical Faculty Mannheim) are among the three nominees with their "smart plaster".
The procedure which they have developed in Mannheim is intended to allow the measurement of organ functions using light signals and to speed up diagnostics. Together with the Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology at Medical Faculty Mannheim, scientists from Freudenberg and research workers from Mektek Europe have been working on this innovative method since the summer of 2009.
In the new method, a plaster applied to the patient's skin is used to measure the concentration of a diagnostic substance previously injected and can identify malfunctions of organs such as the kidneys or liver in a very short space of time. In the case of the liver, the test can be completed in ten minutes, while kidney tests call for about two hours. This represents significant progress compared with current methods which require blood or urine samples to be shipped to a laboratory for testing.
The other projects nominated include intra-operative radiation therapy using Intrabeam, developed by radio-oncologist Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz (Medical Faculty Mannheim) together with Carl Zeiss Meditec of Oberkochen. This procedure represents a milestone in breast cancer therapy. The third nominee is chemical engineer Dr. Jan Eubeler (RKW Group, Frankenthal), whose "Polydress O2 Barrier 2in1" is used in agriculture.
The winner of the main award, with a cash prize of 25,000 euros, will be announced at the Rosengarten in Mannheim on December 6, 2011.
About the Freudenberg Group
The Freudenberg Group is a family company offering its customers technically challenging product solutions and services. The Group is first and foremost a supplier specializing in seals and vibration control technology, nonwovens, filtration, lubricants and release agents as well as mechatronic products. The end-user can find modern Freudenberg household products in the shops under the brand names of vileda®, O´Cedar® and Wettex®. And especially for mid-size companies Freudenberg develops software solutions and IT services. In 2010, the Freudenberg Group employed more than 34,000 people in 59 countries and generated sales of more than 5.4 billion euros.